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The creator of Dark Knight Rises villain, Bane, has refuted claims made by Rush Limbaugh that the Caped Crusader’s nemesis in the third of Christopher Nolan‘s Batman films is just a liberal attempt to smear Mitt Romney.

Romney’s Bain Capital has come under a great deal of scrutiny this campaign season, and the similarity in the two names (Bane and Bain) has led Limbaugh and others to speculate that this was no coincidence despite the fact that production for The Dark Knight Rises began well before Romney became the GOP nominee.

In fact, the decision to make Bane the villain in the third Batman film was made in 2010, when Nolan resisted studio pressure to make a better known villain – The Riddler – the film’s antagonist.

“Have you heard this new movie, the Batman movie, what is it, The Dark Knight Lights Up or whatever the name is. That’s right, Dark Knight Rises. Lights Up, same thing. Do you know the name of the villain in this movie? Bane. The villain in The Dark Knight Rises is named Bane, B-a-n-e. What is the name of the venture capital firm that Romney ran and around which there’s now this make-believe controversy? Bain. The movie has been in the works for a long time. The release date’s been known, summer 2012 for a long time. Do you think that it is accidental that the name of the really vicious fire breathing four eyed whatever it is villain in this movie is named Bain?”

Bane’s creator, Chuck Dixon, came up with the villain in 1993 so yes, in fact, I do think it’s a coincidence. But don’t take my word for it. Dixon himself says this conspiracy theory is ridiculous.

“The idea that there’s some kind of liberal agenda behind the use of Bane in the new movie is silly,” Dixon told ComicBook.com. “I refuted this within hours of the article in the Washington Examiner suggesting that Bane would be tied to Bain Capital and Mitt Romney appearing. Bane was created by me and Graham Nolan and we are lifelong conservatives and as far from left-wing mouthpieces as you are likely to find in comics.”

Bane is hardly a symbol of venture capitalism according to Dixon.

“As for his appearance in The Dark Knight Rises, Bane is a force for evil and the destruction of the status quo,” Dixon said. “He’s far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you’re looking to cast him politically. And if there ever was a Bruce Wayne running for the White House it would have to be Romney.”

From what I witnessed of the Occupy movement, Bane and his earthquake machine are slightly more…forceful than the OWS crowd. Obviously there’s not that much of a gap between occupying a public park and wrecking havoc across the city of Gotham. When will some leftwing television personality start complaining that Bane is an attempt to smear Occupy Wall Street?

Dixon also showed up on the nationally syndicated radio program Schnitt Showto refute Limbaugh’s claims, pointing out that he was a lifelong conservative.

I will give Limbaugh a small break, though. Plenty of people have made obvious homophone jokes about this very topic. I’ve even seen photoshopped images of Mitt Romney wearing that Bane mask. Surely this is the work of the liberal media and not just the internet doing its crazy meme thing…right?

Note: Last night’s shooting at the Aurora, CO screening of the film has cast a pall on much of the other news surrounding The Dark Knight Rises. I’m not sure I have anything worth saying about the shooting at the moment. Maybe when the dust settles. For now it’s just a terrible, terrible tragedy and my deepest sympathy goes out to the victims and their families.

I hope to see and post a review of the film myself sometime this weekend, time permitting, so stay tuned.

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First of all, great article. Nicely worded and just the right amount of snark for something as ridiculous as Limbaugh’s conspiracy theory.

The shooting is a tragedy, that can’t be denied. But I won’t comment on that – there aren’t words to make sense of it, and I won’t begin to presume what that man was thinking. No one can say if it was even remotely related to Rush’s words or if he was thinking something completely unrelated.

That said, Rush IS dangerous: dangerously stupid. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more blatant lack of research into something. Not to mention such a small, close-minded view of the world. Admittedly I follow politics only enough to make an informed decision when I cast my vote at the polls. It makes it even more difficult for me to fathom that Rush assumes EVERYTHING is about politics.

Of course a movie that’s been in production for years, made before the race really started picking up speed, is all about Romney. All about him, all the time. It sickens me honestly. I’ve been anticipating this movie for years, a nice way to honor the memory of Heath Ledger. The Nolan brothers are cinematic genius, making movies for the love of making movies.

My thoughts are prayers to the victims of the shooting, and my congratulations to the Nolan brothers on a cinematic triumph.

I actually love it when readers point out typos I’ve made. It’s very helpful. Of course, I do prefer it when people aren’t rude about it, or smug, or doing it just to make themselves feel good at my expense. But that’s neither here nor there.

How About Writing About How Big Liberal BRIAN ROSS of ABC News Miss Identifying Jim Holmes as a 50 Year Old Tea Party Member Intentionally in the morning News!!! PROOF of the Liberal Media!!! I hope this wrong Jim Holmes SUES the chit out of Brian Ross and ABC News!!

I am left wondering if you read the transcript you linked in full Erik.

Rush is not saying the Movie people planned the Bane/Bain thing. But that Political opportunists would try to take advantage of it and the Association of a villain in a movie with a similar name to the company Romney worked for.

“So, anyway, this evil villain in the new Batman movie is named Bane. And there’s now a discussion out there as to whether or not this is purposeful and whether or not it will influence voters. It’s gonna have a lot of people. This movie, the audience is gonna be huge. A lot of people are gonna see the movie, and it’s a lot of brain-dead people, entertainment, the pop culture crowd, and they’re gonna hear Bane in the movie and they’re gonna associate Bain. The thought is that when they start paying attention to the campaign later in the year, and Obama and the Democrats keep talking about Bain, Romney and Bain, that these people will think back to the Batman movie, “Oh, yeah, I know who that is.” (laughing) There are some people who think it’ll work. Others think you’re really underestimating the American people to think that will work.”

This was the premise. Not that it was really Planned. But that political Opportunist would try to make the links regardless.

He ends the segment basically saying Batman is more like Mitt and Bane is OWS.

Well JohnGraklinmason there are reports that he was mentally delusional and thought he was the joker from the comic book and that he spent a lot of time with OWS and BB anarchists while it was going on.

Brad, he is expressly putting the purposefulness out there as a possibility. The intent is very much a part of his statement:

“The movie has been in the works for a long time. The release date’s been known, summer 2012 for a long time. Do you think that it is accidental that the name of the really vicious fire breathing four eyed whatever it is villain in this movie is named Bane?”

Taking one sentence out of transcript that is pretty much countered by the next several lines he says.

It was live talk radio. And the majority of it is just him theory crafting on what is to come during the election.

And lets not kid ourselves several people were making jokes about Bane and Bain around the time when rush made these comments. Leno or one of them had said a few jokes to the effect of linking bane and bain.

You didnt even read my posts or the transcript did you Vincent. Dont let that stop you from lying and making up false positions though. You should alrady know I said rush was not saying they planned it back then but that people would try to link to it anyway. That was Rushes point. Dont let me stop you from bathing in ignorance and lies though.

There have been many stories posted about bain capital started off with a picture of batmans BANE on my pulse feed for huff po and Ap that had nothing to do with the comic book. Even after rush made his comments.

Try reading other peoples posts next time Vincent, it would help you not look like you enjoy eating your own foot.

Do you think it is coincidental the Aurora Colorado shootings occurred so soon after Rush Limbaugh on his show makes a ridiculous and assinine assertion implying there is some liberal conspiracy to portray Patriotic all American Mitt Romney as the Bane villain in the new Batman movie?

How about as much of a coincident as a Romney surrogate complying with pill popping doctor shopping employee corrupting and, fellow ex-felon, Rush Limbaugh’s instruction to the Romney campaign to charge the President must be smoking something.

Erik Kain, let me make this perfectly clear; the only thing I am pinning on Rush is the tale of: “pill popping doctor shopping employee corrupting and, fellow ex-felon…” and believe me it is impossible to miss that elephants butt even blindfolded!

Had this shooting occurred in Detroit Limbaugh would be all over it talking about black people, thugs, gansters and the like as if that is what Detroiters are about and Detroit’s crime rate. How much does this event raise the murder rate in Aurora?

Yet I have failed to see any mention of race what-so-ever, nor reference to thugs, gansters and the like by anyone in any coverage so far of this incident. And everyone is gasping about the “tragedy” that occurred.

Some of you may say this is not the time and place to address this issue but if up to you there never will be a time and place.

About as ridiculous as Rush’s assertion the Democrats planed the release of the movie to coincide with Romney being discovered to be a LIAR!!! The revocation he was in fact still involved with his company; he swore an oath he had left years prior.

IS IT THAT ABSURD?

Actually, I think it is plausible that not only this Psycho; but perhaps a few more of the Rush Kool-Aide drinkers may have considered it.

Earth to Rush Limbaugh. Bane was in the Batman and Robin movie which was released in 1998. You moron. Before you make some stupid accusation, research it and make sure that you know what you’re talking. I mean, he does have a computer and internet access, so researching Bane shouldn’t be that hard.

I guess when it comes to political people, everything is a conspiracy against their way of thinking.